Metromom. connecting women, creating change

A few years ago while working with my coach Baeth Davis she shared that a big part of my life’s purpose is being of service. Initially I wondered, what does it mean to be of service? My interpretation, and how I’ve used this knowledge to shape my business and life over these years, is that I’m most fulfilled when I’m having fun giving.

What happens now, almost habitually, is that I wake up wondering how I can really be of service today – to myself, to my family and to my community? What can I do to really create value? When I start my day with that question, goodness always comes. It’s like my magic pill.

The question I ask regarding those of you in my community is – “What do YOU really need to get it done?” The answers I’ve been hearing include “how-to” specifics, a space to ask detailed questions along with hands-on coaching and accountability.

Well, I have a big unveiling for you. I’ve revamped my entire member’s area to serve a larger community and give you what you’ve been asking for both in content AND in price.

For example, one of my favorite components of the Get it Done Action Club is the monthly training call because I get to connect with experts and bring their valuable implementation-focused content to you. You then get to take your “Aha” moment, digest the nuggets and take action. (Now Success Circle members get access to these valuable training calls and the support of the Metromom community for just $10 a month.)

So again let me ask you, “What do YOU really need to get it done?” Please share your feedback on the kind of content you’re looking for.

Are their gaps in your education that you’d like to fill? Are you stuck on any “how-to’s” for moving your project forward?

Please share with me what you need so I can provide you with the training and products that make the most sense for YOU.

As creative entrepreneurs, we want to make our wisdom available to as many people as possible. A great way of do this is to take valuable material we have already created and, through repurposing, present it in different formats. We can be of greater service to others as well as making our own lives easier when we do this.

How can creative entrepreneurs and others benefit from repurposing?

Repurposing saves you time and energy because you don’t have to start from scratch. Instead of procrastinating, you’ll start realizing how much you have to offer, maybe things that you previously took for granted. Here’s an important mindset reminder for creative entrepreneurs – what you know has value.

Another benefit of repurposing is it gives your audience the ability to digest your message on their own terms, not just yours. People take in information in different ways. Some people love to read. Some people prefer to listen. They may be both types at different times. At different times, I’ll grab transcripts or have my CDs in my car. Sometimes I have my iPod and need my MP3 format. Sometimes I enjoy watching something. It really depends on the situation.

If you’re not putting your message out there more in multiple ways, formats and streams you’re not allowing yourself to help as many people as possible. Creative entrepreneurs want to be able to touch people in different ways and give them a sense of who you are. That’s the beauty of what you bring to your business when you embrace the repurposing concept.

So creative entrepreneurs won’t focus on what you DON’T have, but will focus on what you DO have. You might find that you can be repurposing something of real value and touch the lives of many more people. You can also really maximize your limited time and energy and yes, get a lot more done!

What example of repurposing content has worked for you?

It’s National Procrastination Week (March 1 – 7, 2010) so it’s a good time as busy entrepreneurs to think about how to conquer procrastination. When you work at home it’s so easy to procrastinate. Why? Because you’re always busy.

You can confuse being busy with being productive. They are not the same thing.

For me, having three children and a home-based business make for a very busy day (as I’m sure you can relate to). There are lunches to pack, carpools to run, emails to answer, and calls to make. While all these tasks are necessary for me to run a household, and care for my children, I can use them as an excuse to procrastinate important projects that will help me grow my business.

It’s too easy, and as work at home entrepreneurs we’re all guilty of getting caught up in activities that take our time but get us nowhere in our business. I call these “time vampires” because they literally take the life out of our business.

Some Examples of Time Vampires (during business hours) Include:

• Checking emails constantly throughout the day
• Answering your personal phone line (except if it’s an emergency)
• Doing household chores and errands

The solutions is to vanquish these time vampires and intentionally set aside dedicated time and focus on activities that directly impact our bottom line.

Here are some practical ways to get moving on a project you’ve been procrastinating:

• Chunk out times of the day for particular revenue-generating activities.

• Focus on only one task at a time.

• Close applications on your computer to prevent distraction.

Instead of procrastinating you’ll start using your work time more efficiently. As a result you’ll be able to enjoy your personal time—knowing you’ve already engaged in activities that are moving your business forward.

Got any tips that help you work efficiently from home? Please share them!

People ask me how I’m able to accomplish what I do – raising three energetic children (who go in three different directions). One of my best work from home tips for getting the important things that really matter to me done is to be organized. My friend, Debbye Cannon, the Business Mom Mentor, helped me identify some big timewasters and also how to be more organized with each one, and I want to share some of these work from home tips with you.

Listen to podcast.

 

  Work from Home Tips - How to be More Organized and Get More Done [6:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

So often it’s easy for creative entrepreneurs to get distracted by what others are doing. You start feeling a little envious about your colleague’s new website, info-product, etc. and you think I want that too! Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing for creative entrepreneurs unless you start spinning in too many different directions at once… and end up going nowhere.

Sometimes it’s about taking a deep breath and saying what do I have right now at my disposal that I can work with, that’ll be easy? What resources do I have already that I can start repurposing and repackaging?

Repurposing is taking what you already have created in one form and putting it out there in a different way or a different format.

As creative entrepreneurs we have so many great ideas we want to use, but this can lead to entrepreneurial ADD – we’re always creating but we’re not really getting things done. Repurposing is the simple solution for creative entrepreneurs.

Here are some other examples of repurposing:

• If you’ve been blogging for awhile, see if you can create an ebook based on a series of tips from your blog.

• If you have a huge newsletter archive but haven’t started blogging yet you don’t have to start writing new content from scratch. Recycle some of your newsletter articles and use them in your blog.

• Here’s one of my personal favorites, repurposing my transcripts. Sometimes I don’t have time to write an article from scratch but I’ll remember having done a teleclass on the same subject. I pull it out and have my assistant make a few necessary edits and voila I have a new article.

• Read and record articles you’ve written in the past and you can quickly create a podcast for your blog.

When you start thinking along these lines, creative entrepreneurs will find a wealth of valuable material that, through repurposing, can be offered to others. Check out my upcoming blog to see why repurposing your content is so beneficial.

You may also want to check out the MP3, transcript and highlights of:  Leveraging Your Knowledge for Profit – How to Repurpose the Content that’s in your Head (or on your Hard Drive) into Powerful Multi-Media Marketing.

Lately I haven’t been getting out enough and while I like hunkering down for the cold winter with my family, working from the warmth of my home and connecting via phone and social networking, there’s nothing that replaces connecting in person. And, lately I’m missing that part of my life. For me, connecting is a fuel, especially with great women.

In 2007 I started hosting Great Women’s Gatherings in my home. I began them at the suggestion of my coach who reminded me how much I love to entertain and connect with great women so why not put it together with a bit of networking. I never expected it to become what it did, but every month for two years I hosted a gathering on a Saturday afternoon, complete with a full spread of food and drink and a different assortment of women each time.

The amazing thing to me about these gatherings was they were always intimate and always magical. No matter how many I invited, about 10-15 showed, which was really the perfect number for magical conversation and connection. There were a few die-hards who always showed, those who came when it worked for their schedule, and those new people I met while out and about who I shared with my special community.

After the last woman left and the food was put away I’d recount the entire night, woman by woman, to my husband, who, bless his heart, listened attentively and most importantly gave me the space to share. I was continually astounded by the quality of conversations and depth of connections made in a 4-hour window of time. Some women shared personal stories, some shared professional. Unlike the typical “male” networking scenario sharing a 30-second elevator speech, each woman shared until she felt complete. There were no rules and it worked. Some spoke for a minute, others needed ten. It always worked out, and amazingly enough, magic always happened.

As my life and business changed, I somehow never put the Gatherings on my calendar in 2009. Today I long for them and the camaraderie of the women. These gatherings were the seed of Metromom. They were the gift in my life that led me to realize how much pleasure and value I get from connecting and therefore the desire to come up with a business model that allowed me to do just that.

Many asked me to show them how to do what I did. They wanted to connect in their areas. I came up with a concept called Metromom Gatherings about a year ago to bring this concept to other women nationally so they could develop their own circles of women to connect with. Often as entrepreneurs we’re isolated, these Gatherings were an answer.

As my vision for my business as a whole evolved last year, I needed to put the expansion of Metromom Gatherings on hold. Now, I feel called forth to begin them again locally, if for no other reason, than I miss the women. And stay tuned as I put my plans together to share more with you.

Have you as an entrepreneur ever been nervous about asking someone to buy what you’re selling? Fear of selling is a problem for many – whether it’s in person, via email or a sales page on your website. We don’t want to appear pushy.

Here are a few tips that will help you feel comfortable asking for the business. (And if you’re comfortable you’re more likely to do it.)

1. Be Direct.

Let’s think about it from the perspective of your prospective client…

Imagine being invited to someone’s home for a “business presentation” and you’re not clear what she wants from you. Your head’s racing with questions. Is she selling me something? Expecting me to buy? What does she want from me?

Now imagine the same situation but this time your host is more direct in her invitation. “I’m working with a great company and I’d love for you to see it. If it makes sense, I’d love for you to become my partner, or at least my customer. Come listen with an open mind and see what you think.”

You need to put your cards on the table and state what you want directly, the tension of the situation dissipates. People are greatly relieved because they understand your expectations.

Being clear at the beginning is usually the best approach. This way there are no surprises. I know I’ve had great success simply explaining my expectations upfront. It helps them, and it helps me as an entrepreneur to overcome my fear of selling.

2. Allow Your Authenticity to Shine Through.

Don’t put on a show. Let them get to know the real you. Be straightforward and authentic versus pushy and overeager. Keep it simple and easy-to-follow, you’ll come off more sincere if you’re not too fancy and overly polished.

3. Keep It Compelling.

Tell your prospect your WHY. Why were you motivated to share your product or service? This answer will create your connection. You can even share a compelling story. What’s great about a story is instead of feeling like your pushing yourself on them; you’ll know you’re sharing something authentic and of value.

Speak about the benefits of your products or services. Communicate the value of what you’re offering by showing your prospect how this opportunity will make her life better.

Your focus on service will help you overcome fear of selling.

Applying these suggestions will help you as an entrepreneur overcome your fear of selling and make it much easier for you to ask for the business, help more people and make more money. Remember that sales is not a 4-letter word, it’s the opportunity to provide someone with a solution to their problem.

“We Don’t Ask for the Business” is one of the sins I cover in my Action Guide “The Seven Deadly Sins Women In Business Make…and How to Avoid Them”. Learn from my mistakes and how by making a few, small changes you can become the entrepreneur who overcomes your fear of selling, attracts more clients, makes more money and has more fun. Click here to learn more.

As I was picking up pizza last week for my kids I had a very interesting conversation with the owner about his business. It illustrates what fear of selling can do to an entrepreneur.

With some stores in the shopping plaza closing he shared that his business was slow. He said people weren’t even calling for deliveries. As a regular customer I had no idea he even offered delivery. Clearly he was not communicating this information.

“Why not put it in a big sign in your window to capture the traffic from plaza?” I asked.

“Oh, they should know that I deliver. All pizza places deliver.”

The fact is it’s very easy for an entrepreneur to blame the economy but the truth is no one will buy if they don’t know what you’re selling.

Here’s another example…

One of my favorite clients called me to say that she was discouraged that she hadn’t made any money from an information product she’d created. She felt frustrated that she wasn’t getting it done.

As we backtracked a bit, I asked her what she’d done to spread the word about her product. “Nothing,” she said, “I was scared that if I told them I was selling something they’d think I was being salesy and get off my list.”

Now the plot thickens…

The interesting thing about this woman is that she (like most of us) has something REALLY helpful that she’s created and would like to share with her community and sell it. She’s got a product that can help a lot of people.

The question then is “what’s getting in her way of putting it out there?”

Fear of selling. Fear of “someone” thinking she’s selling something. Fear of people dropping off her list because she’s doing more than just sending out nice content newsletters. Fear that she’ll be perceived a certain way.

Remember the Value of What You’re Offering

The good news in her case was I knew the prescription. It’s clear (at least to me) that the “simple” action she needs to take to get it done and achieve her short term goal of bringing in more money is to write an email to her list sharing with them what she’s offering. She needs to overcome her fear of selling.

Simple task but overwhelming to her because that email feels scary and has lots of strings attached. But I reminded her, “You’re not selling heroin, or used cars, you’re selling a product that makes people feel better.”

She’s offering a valuable service. I’d even go as far as to say that if she doesn’t offer it, she’s being selfish with her gifts.

Will some people unsubscribe from her list because they think she’s being salesy? YES

Is that okay? YES

She’s in business and the definition of being in business means that you make money by providing value to people. The more people you, the entrepreneur, help, the more money you make.

You can’t make money if you don’t let people know what you have to offer. Having the fear of selling is a mistake that a lot of entrepreneurs (especially women) make over and over again.

If you’re ready to move forward, but are still struggling with the fear of selling, check out my next blog. I’ll share with you 3 tips on how you can get the right mindset to sell so that you can attract more clients, make more money and have more fun!

As entrepreneurs, most of us are doing businesses on our own. Many of us, however, long for the support that a joint venture partnership provides. I believe there is so much more that can be done when we work and bring our strengths together in a joint venture. The question is – how do you create a partnership that works for both of you, as well as the communities you’re serving?

I interviewed Gina Bell, a friend of mine and the founder of GinaBellInc.com, for some tips on how to collaborate effectively and profitably. I want to share with you how you can find the “right” partner for your business and start an enjoyable and prosperous joint venture.

 

 Joint Ventures - How to Collaborate Effectively and Profitably [Metromom Podcast] [5:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

After receiving my friend Karen Schachter’s newsletter the other day, I really wanted to share her important message with my community. As the mother of a tween daughter, I’m very conscious of the body image issues she’s already facing and the importance of the role I play in her life so she can best handle these challenges. Karen  is a psychology of eating expert who helps women, and their families, develop positive relationships to food and their bodies.  Learn  more about her at  her site.

Here is Karen’s article, as well as a recent interview I did with her.

This morning, after yet ANOTHER day stuck inside because of the snowfall, my daughter asked me to play WII with her.  (She has recently re-discovered it and it’s been a great distraction during the BLIZZARD!)

“What do you want to play – WII Sports or WII Play? Bowling? Boxing?” she asked me.

I replied that I didn’t really know, since I don’t really know the options. I asked her what she’s prefer.

“You decide!” she implored, “I really don’t care. I want you to choose. Please!”

My heart sank.  It’s not that I didn’t really want to choose which WII to play. It’s that her “not caring” and “wanting me to choose” were becoming too-familiar phrases around our house lately. At almost 7 years old, my daughter has already begun to “learn” how to be a “nice” girl.  UGH.

Not that I don’t want her to be a kind and compassionate person (of course I do!). I’m talking about something different here (see my past article on the curse of being TOO NICE nice).

I’m talking about this thing that happens to girls (and WOMEN!!) in which we learn to put others first, to automatically gauge our desires and wants according to what we think others want, and to tune out our own intuition and self-awareness of our own wants and needs.

The implications on our lives, of course, are huge and I see it ALL THE TIME in my practice: girls and women who are disconnected from their own needs, desires, wants, and HUNGERS. Girls and women who aren’t sure what will support them in their lives, how to choose what to do for a career, what to say when they don’t want to do something (so they say yes and feel overwhelmed, resentful, depressed), and how to NOURISH their hungers (on so many levels).

You can see, I’m sure, how this relates to food and eating.  When you don’t know what you want, you may not know how to discern your hunger and what truly “feeds” you. When you don’t know how to tune into your intuition or express your own needs and wants, you may “stuff” those down with “fake” forms of “fullness” (i.e. comfort food). When you say yes when you really mean to say no, you become depleted and exhausted and “starving.”

One of the best ways we can support our daughters in having a healthy relationship to food and eating is to help them learn how to have a healthy relationship with their emotional hungers and desires. It is our job, as the main women in their lives, to nourish and support the awareness – and expression! – of their desires, their hungers, and their big, bold selves.

Here are a few practical ideas for supporting your daughter in her SELF expression:

1) Notice if your daughter is being subtly rewarded for siphoning off her desires.  Do teachers always tell you how sweet she is and how she puts other people first?  Do you find yourself complimenting her more when she’s being “easy” and “thoughtful”? Do you get angry or frustrated when she says “no” to you or expresses a different opinion?

2) Start becoming aware of the times she does offer her opinion (even if it’s different from yours), express her desires and says no, and let her know that you like hearing what she wants! (Even if she says “no” to something you want her to do, you can acknowledge her ability to express herself while still standing your ground.)

3) Be direct:  “Honey, you have a good mind.  Ask yourself what YOU really want.  You don’t always have to make me – or others – happy.  Your opinions are important and valuable.”

4) Depending on her age, share stories of yourself and why you believe so strongly in her self-expression. Here’s a condensed version:  “When I was a girl, I always tried to make other people happy because I thought they would like me better.  It ended up making me sad and angry and tired.  I’ve learned how important it is for me to express my real feelings. I want to support you in that too because YOU are so important and your ideas are so valuable.”

5) Notice your own struggles with expressing what you need, want, desire, think.  MODEL saying no, speaking up, expressing your feelings honestly, asking for what you want.  Your daughter is learning from you whether it’s really ok to say what she means.

6) When it comes to eating, try to avoid phrases like “you must be hungry!  You haven’t eaten anything!” or “how can you possibly want that? You just ate!” This just serves to tune them away from their own internal hungers. Our daughters are the “knowers” of their hungers. It’s our job to help them tune into that “knowing” rather than being the “knowers” for them (more on this another time!)

I’d love to hear your comments and experiences with your own daughters and how you’re addressing some of these same challenges.